Nine dead, 10 wounded in South Africa tavern shooting as manhunt expands in Bekkersdal
Gunmen opened fire at the KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, triggering a manhunt and underscoring a spate of bar shootings in the country this month.
Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire inside a KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, a township about 28 miles west of Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday. Police said about 12 unknown suspects arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan, opened fire on patrons, and then fled the scene, continuing to shoot randomly as they sped away.
Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, Gauteng’s acting provincial commissioner, said the gunmen, some wearing balaclavas, were armed with an AK-47 rifle and several 9mm pistols. The attack occurred at a time when many South Africans frequent taverns or shebeens that serve as informal social hubs in townships around Johannesburg. Authorities described a chaotic scene as victims were sprayed with bullets in and around the pub’s entrances and nearby streets.
The incident comes as South Africa endures a series of mass shootings at bars. Earlier this month, gunmen opened fire at an unlicensed bar near the capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring 13 others, in another public shooting that sparked a large-scale manhunt.
Authorities said the Bekkersdal attack prompted a manhunt led by Gauteng’s Serious and Violent Crime Investigations unit, in coordination with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit. Police said there have been no arrests yet, and they were appealing to the public for information that could help identify and locate the suspects.
The violence at taverns and informal drinking spots has drawn renewed scrutiny in South Africa, where investigators say groups of gunmen sometimes target such venues for reasons not yet established in these cases. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
